Domo, Maiko here! Zoe was kind enough to plan an entire WEST. devoted day for my brief trip to Tokyo in October 2025.

WEST. likes to eat, and so do we, so their solo food recommendation YouTube videos gave us perfect building blocks for our itinerary.

Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, we started off the day at Coffee House Soleilそれいゆ, which is a recommendation from Hama-chan’s Kissa to Hamada series. We got there relatively early enough that we didn’t have to wait to get a seat at the café.

Eating at the kissaten was a skill that we had to master. This is due to small tables, small surface area, and big big plates. Even Hama-chan measured the size of the table with his arm. Hama-chan went during lunch and got a coffee jelly and an omurice. The coffee alone looked like a meal. So. Much. Cream.

For our meal, I ordered what looked like a pretty standard breakfast. Toast, bacon, eggs, and a salad. It was kind of comical how large the food looked on the table. Imagine putting a life size dish on a doll table, that was how I felt eating there.

Unlike Hama-chan’s nonchalantness and admiring of the coffee, Zoe and I were just full out fangirling. After we were able to figure out how juggle our plates and drinks while eating, we started really fangirling. Where we were sitting, Zoe could look directly at the table Hama-chan was sitting at. The amount of excitement this brought her was so incredible that when the people sitting at that table left, Zoe deliberated for several minutes whether or not she should get up and go take a picture in his seat. I admit, I might have laughed. In the end, she didn’t get to approach the spot.

Would I recommend visiting? Sure! They’ve got a good selection of tea, food is good, and if you like feeling like a giant, then by all means it’s a lot of fun.

I don’t have a Hama-chan yatsu, so please let my Shige take his place instead.

Zoe then showed me around Nakano Broadway. I like to think of this place as the mecca of second-hand goods, for almost anything you can think of. The retro vibe of the place is insane, and I feel like I could’ve gotten lost in there forever. Of course, we ended up finding a second-hand STARTO goods store and well… who can resist that kind of shopping?

The second (third?) stop on our WEST. food tour was The Jones Café and Bar, which is a recommendation from Kami-chan’s KAMI Sweets series. This man has a sweet tooth that rivals mine I swear. But the way he eats desserts really makes you want to order dessert yourself. The way he enjoys himself is so adorable!

Thank you Zoe for lending me your Kami-chan nui!

Sadly, we couldn’t have his exact order (Sakura Cheesecake Croffle), we thought it might have been seasonal so we tried other stuff instead. I got an apple tart with ice cream on top. The only way I like apples is cooked, so this was a very enjoyable midday treat for me. I also rarely eat ice cream, but the lure of an apple tart with ice cream (essentially apple pie ala mode?) was too alluring to say no to. I can see why Kami-chan liked this place so much. The interior is cute chic, and their vibe is apparently NYC in Tokyo.

Finally, after walking off breakfast and our dessert, we were ready to make our way to dinner. We hopped on the subway ready to eat more, when Zoe discovered something. Originally, we were going to go and eat at one of the many izakayas that Non-chan liked. But to our absolute dismay, all the ones he visited were closed on Sundays. After questioning why izakayas were closed on Sundays, we decided to pivot. If izakayas were out, then yakitori was in.

We decided to continue the Kansai theme and went to one of Ohkura papa’s Torikizoku restaurants. We went to a Shibuya location and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We ordered a variety of different skewers to try and Ohkura papa did not disappoint. The experience was fun and I can see why it’s a popular chain restaurant. I’d honestly love to go again.

So that’s our 24-hour WEST./Kansai STARTO food tour. Here’s hoping you’ll be able to check out WEST.’s YouTube channel and enjoy a WEST. specific food tour too!

Ii jyo, PenKuro deshita.

Bai Bai!

Maiko

Domo, PenKuro desu!

Hello blog readers! Welcome to our first (non-introductory) blog post!

We’re here to tell you the news we’ve been holding back: we’re going to see Arashi! That’s right. Your three favorite hosts are going to see the group that changed their lives and brought them together (and brought them to you)!

It’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster and we plan to take you along with us. Stay tuned for our concert report episode on our podcast some time after the final show! We hope to see you then!

Ii jyo, PenKuro deshita.

Love,

Hoshi, Maiko & Zoe

Penlight Chronicles

Domo, PenKuro desu!

Hi everyone, it’s Hoshi, Maiko, and Zoe from Penlight Chronicles! We’re just three friends who really, really love STARTO idols and want to share that love with you.

We started our podcast a year ago because, well, we wanted to talk about our beloved idols with other fans who get it. We never planned to be “serious” or anything; we just wanted a space to scream about concerts, albums, and fandom nonsense with people who feel the same way.

Anyway, this blog is kind of like a draft of our chat logs, things we couldn’t fit in the podcast. Here, we’ll share things that feel too convoluted or long, or just couldn’t fit into an episode. You’ll get to hear individual thoughts and feelings, and get little behind‑the‑scenes bits from our lives as fans.

What you’ll find here

• Deep dives and fangirl rants: that one concert moment that still gives us chills, why this album cover inspired months of delusions, or why we’re still not over that one special instant

• Random fandom thoughts: things we notice while watching variety shows, “if I could write a drama for this group” ideas, and our most nonsense takes that we think we can back up with “evidence”

• Personal fan moments: what it feels like to hold a ticket, how we prepare for a concert, or that time we cried during a fan song

• Occasional updates: when we’re excited about a new release, or just need to scream into the void about a new MV

• Ways to level up your oshikatsu activities: how to take cute pictures, how to arrange your merch to make the ultimate oshi shrine, and maybe even some arts and crafts projects (with occasional instructions? Who knows)

• Supplementary materials: pictures or drawings that we couldn’t include in the episodes, or tangents that might not be the most on topic but we still want to share

We’re aiming for 1–2 posts a month, nothing too heavy. Think of it like a late‑night chat between friends who live and breathe STARTO content.

How this ties into the podcast

Our podcast is still the main event. It’s where we chat together as a trio about news, releases, and anything that comes up in fandom. This blog is more like the bonus track or director’s commentary: extra thoughts that didn’t make it into the episode, or things each of us wants to say on our own.

So if you’re already listening to the podcast, this is just another way to hang out with us. And if you’re new here, welcome! You can start with the podcast and then peek over here when you want to indulge in your inner fan a little more.

Come hang out with us!

If you want to:

• Listen to our podcast!

• Follow our random thoughts and updates → @Pen_Kuro on X/Twitter

• Like and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode

Anyway, thanks for being here. We’re so excited to share more with you, and we can’t wait to see what kind of chaos we get into together.

Ii jyo, PenKuro deshita.

Love,
Hoshi, Maiko & Zoe
Penlight Chronicles

Subscribe now